Fraternal Devotion

When you pit knowledge against emotions, there's the no-man's land in between those two opposing forces where taboos lie. Incest is one of the untouchables, a taboo that even in alternative cultures is often still looked on negatively. But how can something that feels so right be wrong? In Fraternal Devotion, the focus is on brotherly love—in every sense of the word. These are tales of love, lust, devotion, and passion as real as any other romance. Why should the fact that the two men are brothers take away from that? This collection may challenge your assumptions and beliefs, but may also melt your heart. Not to mention steam up your glasses.

Keith is a Humanist Corpsman, sworn to protect society from the mutated ranks of the Infected. When his own team betrays him, however, it's his long lost brother, Riley, who takes him in and makes him choose between War and Peace and Brotherhood. After nineteen months apart, Brandon Patrell, of Analgesia, is convinced it will take more than a home renovation to keep his playboy brother, Ethan, from running away again. But as Ethan resumes his old mind-games, Brandon is determined to tease back for once, even if it means risking everything in a game of all or nothing. A dozen years after discovering his father's suicide, Cale returns home and finds his older brother Derrick showing the same signs of melancholy. But as much as he wants to help his brother, he fears being sucked back into that world of Depression, Love, and Swimming Pools.

Jeremy has been On Clouds of Obsession since long ago glimpsing his brother, Matt, naked in the locker room. Years later, with Matt due to be married in a week, Jeremy takes a chance after Matt's bachelor's party that could jeopardize their relationship, not to mention the impending wedding. Songwriter Andrew lives life On the Edge, using drugs to quiet his uncertainties about his ongoing relationship with his twin, Ben. Disheartened by Andrew's empty promises, Ben begins to pull away, forcing Andrew to choose between letting go and finally finding the strength to stop running.

James MacGregor approached from the opposite side of the warehouse; he'd been in charge of leading the rear entry team. "We've cleared all of the rooms in the back. No sign of anyone—they cleared out hours ago. What the fuck is that?"

Keith sighed. "I think he has gills."

"Should we see if he swims?" James joked. Keith glared at him, and he held his hands up in surrender.

"We'll take him to Paul. Don't untie him." It might as well be a death sentence. Paul Cotter was the founder of the Corps, and he had a history of making any Infected he caught disappear. Still, they couldn't just let him loose to spread the plague.

Keith's second in command approached as the sobbing ex-spy was carried away. "We've cleared all the rooms, and there's no one else here. They didn't leave in a hurry, either. There are a few things that were left behind, but it's more like trash."

"Yeah, I figured. Thanks, Alex. We'll pack up and go home." Alex passed the instructions on to the men, and Keith wandered to one of the small "rooms", partitioned with curtains hung on wire. There was a small mattress pad against the back wall, but not much else. A scrap of paper peeked out from under the edge of the pad.

Idle curiosity propelled Keith forward, but when he picked up the page, adrenaline spiked through him, and he turned to glance over his shoulder before returning his attention to the paper. It was a simple but skillful ink drawing of a little girl. To the casual observer, it might look like she was laughing as she tossed a ball into the air, but a closer inspection by someone who knew how to look would reveal that the girl was actually levitating the ball just in front of her chest.

She was a stranger, but the lines of the ink were hopelessly familiar, and so were the initials in the corner: R.H. As in Riley Hart, Keith's little brother.

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Gabbi at Top 2 Bottom Reviews
"Every single story captivated my interest and were memorable in their own way. All participating authors in this anthology have a very unique voice as well as addictive storytelling ability. I highly enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book, and I'm anxious to read more!"

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Cole at The Armchair Reader
"These stories definitely live up to the kink, most a contemporary and realistic look at love between brothers. Individually, the stories ranged from good to better, and while none of them completely captivated me, the anthology as a whole is definitely a success. With the different variety, there's enough here to represent both those readers looking for the kink of brother love and the realistic look at the consequences."

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Darien at Pants Off Reviews
"I really enjoyed the anthology. It wasn't just sex on pages, most of the stories offered up some solid plot with good characters and little dose of reality. Not the awesome I was expecting but I am glad with it. Though I am going on and on about plot and such, I liked it cus I love brothers doing each other."

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Jenre at Well Read
"Overall, if you're the sort of reader who likes this theme, then this anthology is well worth reading. There's a good mix of stories from lighthearted fun to very serious drama."

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Alex at Between the Covers
"These stories definitely push the brotherhood button, and several are well done, while others left me cool. Just like every anthology, the mix is all based on the authors who write for it. For readers looking for these types of stories, I think it's worth a gander and will be satisfying."

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Meri at Meri's Corner
"The book contains five stories about brothers loving brothers. And while I know a lot of people tend to automatically frown or push away that concept, but I think that people should always give everything a try. You never know what will inspire you, or make you smile unless you try it. And by try it I mean give this book a try and read it. Especially since this book holds a lot of good stories in it. *Note: this rating applies to the anthology as a whole."